Oh good, a car thread.

I have a question for any car guys out there.

CChris,

The bride has had hers for over 10 years, and it still runs like a dream. We've had only routine maintenance, and the two things everyone used to hate have been fixed: poor pickup (they've since made the engine larger) and -- get this -- not enough cupholders!

But it's a Toyota, so it'll last forever if you just take decent care. One caveat: don't get this thinking you'll tow a lot. I think the limits are around 1500-2000 lbs.

For lots & lots of information, get the April '09 issue of Consumer Reports. They have, among other things, an exhaustive list of Frequency-of-Repair records, so you can see at a glance what makes & models are most reliable, as well as what problem areas are common to some brands and some lines. Also see if you can get the issue from the month they tested the car of your choice, for even more detail.

Threaten it with its own antenna, that's how.

--BuffloBoblo

Re: RAV4 - I'm driving a 2006, and it's sweet. Go for the 6 cylinder, you'll be glad you did.

"Go for the 6 cylinder, you'll be glad you did."

Agreed.

Toyota.

Enough said.

Enjoy your new car.

What a clean car for that many miles. Well done, ma'm. And well done to craftsman and engineers with pride in their work, unlike today where things are designed to break on que.

CC-For my money on a small SUV, I'd at least testdrive a Forrester. It has a much better safety rating. Chassis set-up is lower so it rides and handles better. It is all-wheel drive (never know when you might move somewhere with snow and hills). And you can get a turbo 4-cylinder (the basic engine is slightly more powerful than the toyota).

Don't buy the Mazda. If you get the Rav, 2006 was the first year of the re-model, and the year you should buy for the best price/reliability......I don't know about the used Escape market (they are so new and in demand it is probably pricy), but I'd drive one of those too before I made up my mind.

R8RH8R and Danforth --

Thanks so much, guys, for getting back to me on a Toyota Rav.

Appreciated it and saved your posts. Will also check out a Forrester as R8RH8R suggested.

Good info!

I think you should consider the needs of your coming mid-life crisis while thinking about purchasing a car.

How well does it drive when you've had a few? How many outlets does it have to power electrical cosmetic devices? These are important questions.

I would even suggest when you test drive it, take along some mascara, so you can simulate real world conditions.

Get something with room for some serious cargo Chris like a full-sized pickup truck. You won't need a big engine unless you're gonna be towing a camper or something but you'll need the room when you need to get outta So CA when the shit really hits the fan.

And don't believe the naysayers Ford makes some really fine trucks. No I unfortunately don't own interest in Ford but it is well built and American made plus it doesn't look like they're gonna put their hand out to the government.

Chris,

Never buy a used Toyota or a used Honda. Buy new and keep it for 10 years.

Compare prices.

Used Toyotas and Hondas hold their value so you pay almost the same price for a used one with 30,000 miles (and abuse you don't know) as you pay for the new one.

Pay a few dollars more you know that you get those 30,000 miles, and you know the car has not been abused.

CChris,

My advice is actually the opposite of Vernon's.

Used Toyotas are great. As long as the service records are good & consistent, it's tough to knock them out in just a few years. And with the economy souring lately, there'll be more and more deals for newer used cars where the prior owner just fell behind on payments. And while Vernon is right, they don't depreciate as fast as other brands, there's still a significant pop the moment you drive it off the lot.

There are lots of tests you can do on a used car, and I'm sure plenty of websites detailing various techniques. My favorite test for a used car: if it's a stick, put it in first, and accelerate until you have to upshift. Then put it in fourth gear, and floor it. Anything that shakes on the car is going to shake NOW. And you'll get a good snapshot of the condition of the motor: does it cough & spit, does it accelerate slowly but smoothly, or does it zip forward?

Vern's right.

Go for new with the Toyota if you can.

You'll be glad you did.

A new Toyota is a great experience. I had a brand new '89 Celica convertible that was awesome. The only thing I got a bigger kick out of was the new Infiniti J30 I traded it in on. Next was a new Nissan Maxima, same engine as the J30 but a thousand pounds lighter. A swift little sleeper.

I'm sold on Nissan now, because I think they give better value than Toyota and the interiors are nicer. Unless they have changed recently, Toyotas are a little bland inside.

Japanese cars were a revelation to me. We always had GM cars when I was a kid and I thought it was normal to have your car in the shop for 2 or 3 weeks every year.

The funny thing is, I am driving a creampuff '97 Buick LeSabre now and am in the process of selling my Maxima. The Buick was my Mom's car and has only 18K miles on it. She stopped driving and offered it to me for way below Blue Book, so what could I do?

It goes well with my gray hair, though.

My wife hates it.

Great suggestions, boys. Thanks for all of them.

Yours too, Lipzoidial. lol

#1 | Posted by CalifChris

Get a V6 on whatever you buy. RAV is cute and practical.

And in CA you can request the seller--if a dealer--to give you the Carfax on the vehicle.

You can run it yourself too--you will need the full VIN#.

This gives youthe full history--or most. If it was in a prior accident, the last smog check and oil changes can be recorded.

I bought this car today.

No more Cadi.

I've got a 1988 Yugo with 40K miles, picked it up for $400. So far my plans for it are for wal mart spinners and maybe figure out if I can put a turbercharger on that bad Larry without causing a piston to shoot out.

Any suggestions of what to do with my fun car?

"Any suggestions of what to do with my fun car?"

Save it, make it pristine, and rent it out to filmmakers.

Any suggestions of what to do with my fun car [Yugo]?

Don't bother putting anything into it other than gas. Don't even change the oil and when it dies cut the roof off, fill it with mesquite and use it to roast marshmallows

Cali I have a Toyota and a Lexus. Both of them are great cars. Toyota makes great vehicles

Toyota cars are like Honda motorcycles. They run for ever.
I just bought a 93 Toyota Privia mini van. It runs great. It has almost 400,000 km on it. That's about 300,000 miles.
I only paid 1600$. It will probably last 4 or 5 years. Then I'll get something else.

Ford makes some really fine trucks.

Is that a joke?

I guess as trucks go, Ford makes 'em just as "fine" as the rest. There is only so much you can do with 18th century manufacturing techniques. Ya know, they don't even put solid axel leaf spring suspension on go carts anymore! You probably can't even find a new cargo trailer with such an outdated set up. If you get a ford truck make sure it has a good stereo. You're gonna need something to drown out all the squeaking and rattling emanating from the dash and chassis. Besides, who needs gas mileage, handling, the ability to fit in parking spaces, re-sale value, or styling from the 1900's?

If all that hasn't sold you yet, I've got two words for ya: Toby. Keith.

Great story, but the car is unsafe by today's road standards -- no head restraint if it were rear ended, no air bags if hit from the front, no shoulder strap, and the old fashioned killer steering wheels.

It's amazing she put so much time and effort into maintaining the car, but it's more a novelty htan something her kids should be letting her drive.

something her kids should be letting her drive.

Her kids are probably in their sixties.

My 1999 Subaru has 150,000 miles and is still going strong.

That's pretty much unheard of these days.

big deal

Great story, but the car is unsafe by today's road standards -- no head restraint if it were rear ended, no air bags if hit from the front, no shoulder strap, and the old fashioned killer steering wheels.

In other words a real car before they sissified them.

How Do You Put 540,000 Miles On A Mercury?
Obvious Answer: One mile at a time.

I've been in several serious accidents since I was 8 years old.
The first-I was 8-riding in the back seat of my family's '56 Chevy Wagon-my sister ran a red light-and we got T-Boned-on my side of the car-the car that hit us, a '59 Pontiac Catalina, was doing about 45 at the time-no seat belts, and none of us were hurt.

I was on my way to work in '78-driving a '64 Buick Skylark-no seat belts in that car either-I was working outside of town-so I was on a country road-and doing about 60.
A tow truck(with a BIG push bar-ran a stop sign-and T-boned me-again-other than a bump on my forehead-I was unhurt.

Now.
Do seat belts work?
You bet!
Do Airbags work?
Abso-fuckin'lutely!
When the cars are properly engineered, though-they are MUCH less dangerous.

hmm